Earlier this month, the wonderful artist and blogger, Miss Gentileschi https://secretartexpedition.wordpress.com nominated me for The Unique Blogger Award. I admit that I sometimes take longer than I should in replying to such honors. For the delay, I apologize. For the honor, I thank Miss Gentileschi, and I recommend you visit her wonderful site.

THE RULES:

Share the link to the blogger who has shown love to you by nominating you.

Answer the questions.

In the spirit of sharing love and solidarity with our blogging family, nominate 15 people and notify them.

Ask them three questions.

THE QUESTIONS:

1.) What (or who) inspired you to get into blogging?

I have attended several writing conferences, and an emphasis was placed on having a web presence, so after investigations of possibilities, blogging was suggested as the best way to begin, and I agree. I have enjoyed both producing the blog and learning in the process.

2.) Describe your ideal three-course meal?

This is a little difficult, because I love so many kinds of foods. Here is one possibility:

A cheddar-beer soup, followed by a hearty beef stew, and finished with bread pudding. This is not the healthiest of meals, but it would be delicious.

3.) Would you consider naming any future children after fictional characters, if so which characters? (Or if you already have children, did you gave them names after fictional characters?)

While I have never named any children after fictional characters, I have named several pets–cats–from characters in Shakespeare: Ariel and Miranda.

I am very excited to say that my horror novel, Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book I is now in the humanities library, Linderman Library, at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA! This is something for which I am very grateful and deeply satisfied. I have been connected to Lehigh University for many years; I earned my M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English Literature at this school, and now I teach there as an adjunct professor.

Having my novel included in the new books section is a serious honor, one of which I will be proud for the rest of my life.

Thank you to Heather Simoneau for the photographs!

And please consider voting for the cover of my book in authorshout.com’s Cover Wars.

Beginning with this post, I will occasionally show photographs of my book Maledicus: The Investigative Paranormal Society Book I as it travels to various locales.

These were taken on a ferry from Staten Island to Manhattan during a recent excursion my wife and I took into the city. I love traveling on the ferry, which is still free! Actually, I love riding on any kind of boat or ship, so this part of the trip, no matter the weather is always exciting for me.

This one was taken as the ferry was departing from its slip in the Staten Island Terminal.

(Liz French 2017)

And this one shows the novel traveling comfortably on one of the ferry seats!

Have you done some writing today? Did you put pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard and cranked out so many words? Remember not to worry about New Year’s resolutions–they often fail. Simply try to develop a discipline about the craft of writing, and never wait for inspiration. It is the act of writing that creates more writing.

Remember, your writing opens yourself and your readers to the worlds of your imaginations, and that is a true blessing.